Lipe & Dalton Lowers Holdings in Accenture PLC $ACN

Lipe & Dalton decreased its holdings in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 65.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,077 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 3,928 shares during the period. Lipe & Dalton’s holdings in Accenture were worth $412,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its stake in Accenture by 27.7% during the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 282,340 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $75,752,000 after acquiring an additional 61,314 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Accenture by 197.2% in the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 141,484 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $37,960,000 after purchasing an additional 93,880 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 36.6% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 557,516 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $149,582,000 after purchasing an additional 149,357 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Accenture by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 66,070,930 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $17,726,831,000 after purchasing an additional 854,361 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd grew its position in shares of Accenture by 12.0% during the fourth quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 335,314 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $89,965,000 after purchasing an additional 36,037 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Trading Down 3.4%

Shares of NYSE ACN opened at $137.29 on Thursday. Accenture PLC has a fifty-two week low of $118.15 and a fifty-two week high of $304.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.34. The company has a market cap of $91.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.97, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.13. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $161.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $205.36.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.80 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.70 by $0.10. Accenture had a net margin of 10.66% and a return on equity of 26.47%. The company had revenue of $18.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.78 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.49 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.780-13.900 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Accenture PLC will post 13.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 9th will be given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.7%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio is presently 52.08%.

Accenture announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, June 23rd that authorizes the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the information technology services provider to reacquire up to 2.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on ACN shares. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $200.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on Accenture from $199.00 to $140.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Accenture from $177.00 to $130.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, TD Cowen downgraded shares of Accenture from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $258.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fifteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $193.33.

Key Headlines Impacting Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture announced a multi-million euro contract with NATO to support its Protected Business Network program, adding a high-profile government win that could strengthen near-term revenue visibility. NATO Announces Major Contract with Accenture to Help Advance Towards a More Agile and Resilient Digital Infrastructure
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture expanded its AI partnership with Google Cloud, launching “Accenture Edge” to deliver scalable agentic AI solutions for mid-market companies, which could help support future consulting and cloud services growth. Accenture Edge and Google Cloud Bring Scalable Agentic AI Solutions to Mid-Market Companies
• Positive Sentiment: The company also deepened its AI and cybersecurity push with ServiceNow, positioning itself to capture more demand for agentic AI-driven risk management and security services. Is Accenture’s Agentic AI Push With ServiceNow a Game Changer?
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and commentary note that Accenture may be trading at a discount after a steep decline, which could attract value-focused investors if its AI initiatives translate into better bookings and growth. Accenture PLC (ACN) Shares Surge 3.8% — What GF Score of 77 Tells Investors
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the new contract and partnerships, recent coverage highlights weak share performance, soft bookings, and a pressured revenue outlook, suggesting investors remain cautious about the pace of Accenture’s recovery. Accenture Down 29.3% in 3 Months: How to Approach the Stock Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Some articles also warn that Accenture’s AI push faces a major test, implying the market is still uncertain whether these initiatives will offset disruption and revive growth. Accenture (NYSE:ACN) AI Push Faces A Big Test

Insider Activity at Accenture

In related news, CEO Atsushi Egawa sold 4,872 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.14, for a total value of $863,026.08. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 12,802 shares in the company, valued at $2,267,746.28. The trade was a 27.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

About Accenture

Accenture is a global professional services company that provides a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. The firm works with organizations across industries to design and implement business transformation programs, deploy and manage enterprise technology, optimize operations, and develop customer and digital experiences. Its offerings encompass management and technology consulting, systems integration, application and infrastructure services, cloud migration and managed services, as well as security and analytics capabilities.

The company delivers industry- and function-specific solutions, combining consulting expertise with proprietary tools, platforms and partnerships with major technology vendors.